Help us spread the word! Status and share this event with all your friends! Let's get Downtown Bristol rising!
PARKING: Parking will be on the N. Main Street side of the Depot Square site (former Centre Mall property). GPS Bristol City Hall, 111 N. Main Street, Bristol CT, as parking will be in the massive lot right across the street. Traffic volunteers will be able to steer you in the...
[read more] Help us spread the word! Status and share this event with all your friends! Let's get Downtown Bristol rising!
PARKING: Parking will be on the N. Main Street side of the Depot Square site (former Centre Mall property). GPS Bristol City Hall, 111 N. Main Street, Bristol CT, as parking will be in the massive lot right across the street. Traffic volunteers will be able to steer you in the proper direction!
12 PM ---> 8 PM
***MAIN STAGE ENTERTAINMENT, presented by New England Bank & Emcee'd by News 8's Ann Nyberg!
(( 6 BANDS )) & (( LOCAL TALENT PERFORMANCES ))
12:00 PM --> Just4Fun (Jazz)
1:05 PM The OM Show (Assorted Musical Medleys)
1:20 PM ---> Ultimate Groove (Funk & RB)
2:25 PM Get Up Stage Co. (Musical Theatre)
2:40 PM---> Civil Drone (Contemporary Rock / Pop)
3:45 PM Pageant Personalities (Solo songs & Duet)
4:00 PM---> High Octane ('80s Anthems & Rock)
5:05 PM Varasconi's School of Self Defense (Demo)
5:20 PM---> Camden
6:10 PM Nutmeg Performing Arts (Dance Group)
6:25 PM ---> The Convertibles (Oldies)
7:30 PM Dance Arts Centre (Dance Group)
CLOSING WORDS
*** 70 + Vendors! ***
-> Crafts
-> Food
-> Local Restaurants
-> Community Organizations
*** LIVE ART ***
-> 4 Muralists Painting 6x8 Foot Murals!
-> 3 Artists Painting Benches!
-> 1 Traffic Box Being Painted!
*** PLUS + ***
-> Random Board Games on Tables
-> Basketball Toss, Soccer Score, Putt Challenge
-> Musical Chairs
-> Family Fun & Children's Games
-> **Possible** Small Beer Garden
3PM---> 7:30 PM
***VINTAGE CARS featuring the Bristol Auto Club
8:15 / 8:30 PM ---> 10:30 PM
***FREE MOVIE OUTDOORS presented by Scalia Bros. Sand & Gravel - "BACK TO THE FUTURE" on a GIANT 40-foot movie screen! (Bring the blankets and chairs!)
Bristol Rising, the group of 800-plus community members dedicated to the revitalization of downtown Bristol (join the crowd! BristolRising.com), in collaboration with Renaissance Downtowns (selected master developer for the Revitalization of Downtown Bristol), and in partnership with The Giamatti Little League Center Events, Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce, and the City of Bristol, is planning the Pop Up Piazza Festival, to be held on Saturday, August 6, 2011 between 12 NOON and 10:30 PM (Rain date Aug. 7)
The Pop Up Piazza kicks off at 12 NOON and will feature festival activities from NOON to 8 PM-ish. Over 70+ vendors, including food, crafts, local restaurants, community organizations, family friendly games like bocce, badminton, basketball toss, golf putt challenge, random boardgames like connect 4 on tables, etc. There will be live art as part of the event, with 4 muralists painting 6x8 foot plywood canvas sections each. 3 artists are commissioned to paint benches on the site that day that will go to local business storefronts. Another artist is painting a gray traffic box on Main St. as part of a traffic box art project to paint 30 boxes around the downtown.
In addition to that, there will be a main stage rocking all day with 6 main bands ranging the spectrum of jazz, funk and R&B, 80's anthems, swinging oldies, contemporary pop/rock. In between each main band we are going to showcase local dance and theatrical groups who will perform a number or two from one of their shows.
A section of Main Street adjacent to the event site (From Riverside to Prospect) will be closed off during the day and at 3 PM vintage cars will roll in featuring the Bristol Auto Club. The City very recently did a streetscape and historic building facade improvements, and we are paying homage to our downtown of old with a vintage theme with the cars, and a DJ system playing oldies tunes when you walk over to Main St.
And the main event, once 8 pm rolls around the festival activities will wind down and attention will be drawn to a 40 foot movie screen where the original Back to the Future will be shown on blu-ray for everyone to enjoy for free.
This is a brand new event and all-day extravaganza expected to draw thousands of residents from in and around Bristol, that will provide a glimpse into an exciting future for our Downtown with ingenuity, activities, and all the expected fun of Downtown’s future piazza. With some time before actual construction, this is a wonderful chance to bring the atmosphere of the future into the present.
This exciting event reinforces the downtown revitalization efforts and the City of Bristol's efforts to promote downtown as a destination, and we hope that it will encourage everyone to want to join in and help our City and community rise to new heights.
